An On Screen Display device and method for displaying a menu is disclosed. In the present invention, a plurality of OSD main menu items are displayed on a screen and a space between adjacent menu items is opened to display sub-menu items. Thus, a user can conveniently select a menu as the menu items and the sub-menu items are simultaneously displayed. Accordingly, a limited area of the screen can effectively be used to display more menus.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for displaying selectable menu items of an OSD menu displayed on a screen of a digital television, the method comprising: displaying on the screen a first menu level having a plurality of main menu items, the plurality of main menu items including a first main menu item related to a first set of controllable functions of the digital television and a second main menu item related to a second set of controllable functions of the digital television, each main menu item occupying a separately delineated space of the first region and the first and second main menu items occupying adjacent spaces among the separately delineated spaces; allocating, in response to a user selection of one of the first and second main menu items, a new separately delineated space formed by redisplaying the plurality of main menu items to interpose the new separately delineated space between the separately delineated space occupied by the selected main menu item and the separately delineated space occupied by the unselected main menu item, such that the interposed space abuts on each of the separately delineated space occupied by the selected main menu item and the separately delineated space occupied by the unselected main menu item; and displaying, in the allocated space, a second menu level having at least one sub-menu item related to the digital television controllable functions of the selected main menu item, wherein, upon a user selection of a main menu item other than the selected main menu item, the first menu level is redisplayed by erasing the at least one sub-menu item displayed in the allocated space, closing the allocated space such that the first and second main menu items again occupy adjacent spaces, and then re-executing said allocating.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the main menu items are displayed in a direction from the top to the bottom of the screen.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed in a direction from the top to the bottom of the screen.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the main menu items are displayed in a direction from the left to the right of the screen.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed in a direction from the left to the right of the screen.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the main menu items are displayed sequentially.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed sequentially.
8. A method for displaying a menu using an OSD device of a digital television, the method comprising: displaying in a first region a plurality of selectable main menu items and an item indicator for selecting any one of the plurality of selectable main menu items, each main menu item being related to a corresponding set of controllable functions of the digital television and occupying a separately delineated space of the first region; allocating, according to a first operation of the item indicator, to select a main menu item a new separately delineated space formed by redisplaying the plurality of main menu items to interpose the new separately delineated space between the separately delineated space occupied by the selected main menu item and the separately delineated space occupied by an unselected main menu item, such that the interposed space abuts on each of the separately delineated space occupied by the selected main menu item and the separately delineated space occupied by the unselected main menu item; displaying, in the allocated space, at least one sub-menu item related to the digital television controllable functions of the main menu item selected by the first operation of the item indicator, the at least one sub-menu item being selectable by a second operation of the item indicator; and displaying in a second region, according to the second operation of the item indicator, a control function window for enabling at least one function corresponding to the selected at least one sub-menu item; wherein, upon a user selection of a main menu item other than the selected main menu item, the first region is redisplayed by erasing the at least one sub-menu item displayed in the allocated space, closing the allocated space, such that selectable main menu items again occupy adjacent spaces, and then re-executing said allocating.
9. An OSD device of a digital television, comprising: a storage for storing a system program, an OSD menu successively arranged as a plurality of main menu items, and a set of data values corresponding to at least one sub-menu item assigned to each main menu item, the main menu items including a first main menu item related to a first set of controllable functions of the digital television and a second main menu item related to a second set of controllable functions of the digital television; a screen for displaying, according to the stored system program, the OSD menu and an item indicator generated to be displayed with respect to the displayed OSD menu; a selecting device for moving the displayed item indicator with respect to the displayed OSD menu and for selecting any one of the plurality of main menu items according to the movement; and a controller for controlling the display of said screen, wherein the plurality of main menu items is displayed such that each main menu item occupies a separately delineated space of the a region and such that the first and second main menu items occupy adjacent spaces among the separately delineated spaces, wherein, in response to a user selection of one of the first and second main menu items, a new separately delineated space is allocated, the new separately delineated space being formed by redisplaying the plurality of main menu items to interpose the new separately delineated space between the separately delineated space occupied by the selected main menu item and the separately delineated space occupied by the unselected main menu item, such that the interposed space abuts on each of the separately delineated space occupied by the selected main menu item and the separately delineated space occupied by the unselected main menu item, and wherein, according to the correspondingly stored set of data values, at least one sub-menu item related to the digital television controllable functions of the selected main menu item is displayed in the allocated space; and wherein upon a user selection of a main menu item other than the selected main menu item, the OSD menu is redisplayed by erasing the at least one sub-menu item displayed in the allocated space, closing the allocated space such that the first and second main menu items again occupy adjacent spaces.
10. The OSD device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of the main menu items are displayed in a direction from the top to the bottom of the screen.
11. The OSD device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed in a direction from the top to the bottom of the screen.
12. The OSD device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of the main menu items are displayed in a direction from the left to the right of the screen.
13. The OSD device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed in a direction from the left to the right of the screen.
14. The OSD device of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of the main menu items are displayed sequentially.
15. The OSD device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one sub-menu item is displayed sequentially.
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November 21, 2000
January 23, 2007
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